bloody eartips & shaking of the head

Question
I have a 16 month pit & Lab mix. He is constantly shaking his head and one of his ear tips is constantly broke open and bloody.  He has been to the vet, but his ear look healthy inside.  He has a few bumps on the back of his head to.  I am looking to see if anyone else has had this problem

Answer
Sounds like he could either have an ear infection (which your vet said that this wasn't the problem) or he could have a hematoma formation. A hematoma is like a bruise and commonly occurs on the ears of dogs. It is a pool of blood that forms on the ear due to excessive shaking of the head, having a ear stepped on, or rubbing the ear against something. In either case what happens is one or more of the blood vessels in the ear ruptures and blood pools under the skin, like a bruise; however, a hematoma forms and blood pools up forming a cyst like structure (a blood filled sac) between the layers of skin. Usually this condtion can be treated with surgery, and many times will correct itself over time. Yet if the animal is constantly shaking its head then the problem will not get better by itself. Take the dog back to your vet and demand an answer as to what is causing the problem. If your vet can't give you one then go to another vet. Also if your vet doesn't think it is a hematoma, and no inner ear infection is present (have your vet check again), have your vet check for both ear mites, demodex mange mites as well as sarcoptes mange mites. These mites also cause the symptoms your dog has if the mites are on the ear. Hope this helps and if you have anymore questions, please ask If you would like more detailed information about any of the mites I have mentioned I would be glad to tell you all about them, just let me know.